


Sour, Sweet, Let the Show Begin

by thunder_fox_7



Series: The Sleuthing Server Gods + Goddesses Saga [6]
Category: Original Work, Sleuthing Server - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gods & Goddesses, Gen, dialog taken from real conversations, it was written way before them, this one's not all that related to the others in this series, two gods fight on a hill and some poor farmer gets caught in the middle
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-13 00:15:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29767803
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thunder_fox_7/pseuds/thunder_fox_7
Summary: Two gods meet on a hill, a farmer stands between them.
Series: The Sleuthing Server Gods + Goddesses Saga [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2134797
Comments: 3
Kudos: 3





	Sour, Sweet, Let the Show Begin

Cat walked up the grassy hill, toward the woods they often spent time in. There was a chill in the air, but it did nothing but soothe the otherwise burning heat of the summer. As they approached the top of the hill, they heard voices coming from its crest.

“I can see you, Vinyl. Do you see me?” Cat reached the top of the hill, curious as to who else was there. Two figures stood, one facing away and the other facing the first. 

“No, Trashy” the first figure’s head turned, and their eyes connected with the other’s, “but I cannot tear my eyes away nonetheless.” Neither seemed to notice the new presence.

“Good,” the second being said. Gesturing to itself, it continued, “Keep your eyes on my decrepit, cursed form, and see what you have done!”

The first, Vinyl, didn’t take their eyes off the other. Their voice was genuine as they said “I see I have brought pain and suffering upon the lands I so love, and I did so willingly. I regret my mistakes, and while I must live with them, I hope I do not have to see them staring me down. But alas, they watch my every move.” Their eye contact never broke, and Trashy, who was tall and short and thin and fat and everything at once, scanned the other. Cat didn’t know what it was looking for.

“Your sins see you. They curl around your limbs, whispering into your ears. They cry as you ignore them, as you try to change your blackened soul into something good.

“But you know you cannot escape them. So why ignore them? 

“Look your actions in the eyes. Because you cannot be afraid of your sins if they are afraid of you.”

Vinyl was quick to respond, thinking over the other’s words quickly. “I do not fear the sin, I fear what it may become. My soul has been tainted by them, a permanent mark on my very being, and I pray that some day, when it comes time to judge me, that whatever wretched being it is that sees me may take pity upon me.” They turned and faced the lands behind Cat, looking beyond her and the fields. “I am sorry world, for what you must now deal with.” It was… rather scary.

Trashy grew agitated, eyes flashing. “Your apologies mean nothing! If they meant anything, your sins would have faded long ago! Apologizing is a cowards act. A way of attempting to feign niceties.

“Give into that blackened mark on your soul. It’s so much easier to do evil when you don’t feel remorse.” Its mouth stretched into a horrifying grin, too wide, too sharp, too full of fangs, some bloodied and some not.

“If apologizing is a cowards act, then I take the label and wear it proudly. I may be a coward, but I am not so horrible as you!” Vinyl, who had had a calm and sorrowful composure for at least as long as Cat had been there, seemed to snap slightly, growing larger and aggressively gesturing toward the other.

“And, pray tell, what makes me so horrible? I have simply done what I deemed best for myself. Is that so wrong? If so, then would you execute a lion for eating an innocent animal? No, for it is simply instinct.

“I cannot help what I have done. But to save myself the trouble, I have embraced it.”  
Vinyl took a deep breath, and their entire figure seemed to shift into something more collected, less scattered. “perhaps you have succumbed to instinct, to raw actions born of survival and no true thought, and there is a dark, twisted beauty to respect in that, which I do.” They bowed their head toward the other. “I, however, am no creature of instinct. Every action I take is intentional, born of millions of years of knowledge compiled into the society of which I am made, and it is because of that I apologize for my actions. 

You may not plan your actions, but I do, and it is such that I regret when said plans go awry.” They cast a glance toward Cat, the first sign of recognition, and smiled gently. It was a gentle, friendly smile, with a sharp edge and far too much knowledge for any mortal being to hold stored inside. Their eyes shone in an unnatural light. Cat felt chills running down their spine that had nothing to do with the weather.

Trashy nodded toward Vinyl, a copy of the bow the latter had performed. “That kind of cunning is something I truly respect, believe me. But wouldn’t it be so much easier, so much more fun to cause a little chaos?

“It would be so freeing to let your mind go, to bathe in blackened actions and vile words. Life is so much better lived when you let chaos consume you, when you toss away regret.” 

“Perhaps it would be. Fun to create chaos, freeing to let go of the shackles I have crafted for myself.” Vinyl seemed almost wistful at the thought, staring into the heavens. “But I mustn’t,” their eyes returned to their foe’s, “for these shackles are what hold me grounded, capable of enjoying the little things, of bonding to the land and people I love.” Their arms made a sweeping gesture, including the entire world in their embrace. “Maybe you have a point, Trashy, but I am quite happy where I am.”

Despite the fear still holding Cat in place, the exchange dragged up the memory of a song they’d heard on the radio just that last week, about-

Before that thought could be finished, Trashy spoke again, analyzing its finger nails. “Well, it seems I simply cannot convince you with words.” It looked back up, eyes darkened. “So, I leave your mind untouched, friend. May you enjoy the quiet serenity of your thoughts.” It grinned again, “I will simply have to destroy things physically for you to get my point, hm?”

Vinyl met those eyes, confident. “You may try, but for all I adore the material world, words have always held more power. I respect you, friend, but reverting to those barbaric ways will do naught but disappoint me.”

“Ah, but disappointment is one of my many talents. You’ve yet to witness it in its entirety.”

“A pity, then, that you would resort to pushing me away in a desperate attempt to draw me closer. If you have so many talents, then why not use one that would work?”

“For failure is simply part of the plan! If I cannot convince you, the I can settle with destroying you.”

Vinyl sighed, a thousand years weighing down their shoulders and the energy of the last few minutes leaving their form, “I had hoped you would be a worthy opponent, one capable of taking a loss and returning again another day. I cannot allow you to destroy me, so instead I must tell you that for all I respect you ways, I am equally willing to take another victory for my collection.” The two met eyes, standing several feet apart, powerful and terrifying. Vinyl had taken a more stable position, standing not ready to fight but a minor adjustment away from it. There was a minute of tense silence, punctuated by nothing but Cat’s anxiety. They should leave. They couldn’t move.

Finally, Trashy began laughing. It was a sound that grated on their ears, filled the trees and scared away the plants around them. “It’s quite amusing, to think you would be foolish enough to claim victory against something that cannot die.

“I am not an enemy to be conquered at once.” It seemed to draw shadows to it, casting light and life away from it. “I am a not something solid, something tangible.” The lines around its form seemed to blur, shifting as it grew, claws shimmering black, blocking out the sun.

“I am a thought,” its voice boomed, coming from everywhere and nowhere at once, “a feeling, a desire. I will return, again and again.” It was back to the size it had been previously, having displayed what it wanted to display. 

“I never claimed I would kill you,” Vinyl said, voice steady, “merely win against you. If that must be done again and again, for all of eternity, well.” They grinned, and it rivaled Trashy’s in its unnatural power. “I have never been one to back down from a challenge.” Their grin turned sharper, mirroring the edge to their words. The wind picked up, swirling around the figures on the hill, trees rustling more and more aggressively, birds flying away. Clouds blotted out the sun.

“Excellent,” Trashy responded, words spilling out like blood from a stab wound, “Let the games begin.”

There was a competitive spark to Vinyl’s eyes. “And may the best of us win.”

Cat didn’t know what happened next, feet finally deciding this was not something to stick around for. They darted back down the hill, away from the woods and hill, thunder crashing behind them.

**Author's Note:**

> all of the dialog in this was taken directly from a real life conversation about sour patch kids, make of that what you will


End file.
